After the War
by Stineybub
Summary: What happens after the war and how ShikaTema properly begins.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! My first fanfic, please let me know what you think. All the goodness belongs to Kishimoto.

AFTER THE WAR

Chapter 1.

Her.

Shikamaru laid on his bed in the dark. It had been a few weeks since the war ended and life was surprisingly closer to before the war than he had ever thought it could be. He had spent most of his time helping rebuild housing – there was still so much damage from the Pain attack – and trying to find a way to deal with his losses. Light flittered in through the closed blinds, he knew it was time to get up. But, why? The world would keep spinning without him. It kept spinning without Asuma, and even now, its kept spinning with his father. Why be alone in the busy world, when you can be alone in bed? He missed his dad, but he wasn't alone in that regard, his mother spent a lot of time tending to his clans deer, and very little speaking to other people. It wasn't like that for everyone though – Ino and her Mum had revelled in sympathy from others – namely Choji and the Akimichi Clan, even TenTen was spending a lot of her time with Hinata and the Hyuuga Clan – but he and his Mum seemed to be alone. _Alone_. It was a foreign concept to the young shinobi. He'd never been alone before. He'd always had both of his parents, plus Asuma, his friends and by extension, the rest of the village. Being alone made him sad, it made him scared and it made him think of _her_. _Her_ with her beautiful teal eyes and sandy blonde hair. _Her_ with her cocky smirk and cheeky grin. _Her_ who knows what it was like to feel this way. _Her_ who was strong enough to carry on, even after all of the losses she had to deal with.

He was drawn from his thoughts as he heard gentle footsteps up the stairs stop outside his door. He held his breath, hoping that this time it would be different, that this time his mother would be as terrifying and troublesome as she was before the war, not kind and gentle and all things most definitely not his mum. There was a soft knock on the door and his mum padded quietly over to his bed. "Shikamaru, it's time to get up. I've made you some breakfast, how about we eat it on the patio? Get dressed and come down." She lent over and give him a quick peck on the forehead, confirming Shikamarus thoughts that today was going to be the same as every day since the war. No yelling, no flying saucepans, none of the normal behaviour he and his mum shared. She no longer seemed frustrated by his laziness and lack of drive. His mother walked out leaving his door ajar. He got up and walked slowly over to his dresser, pulling out a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. He put them on and looked in the mirror. He was no longer the lazy little smart ass. He was the new head of his clan, he was about to be thrust into being a jounin and he was about to take over from his father as commander of the jounin of the Leaf. _"How troublesome"_ he thought as he pulled his hair up into a ponytail and made his way down stairs.

His mum was sitting on the patio, legs crossed and staring into a cup of tea as if it was a riveting novel. She smiled at him as he sat down beside her and reached for some toast. They sat in silence for a few minutes until his mum finally spoke. "_She_ should be arriving today. I've offered for her to stay here. Her brothers too. The embassy isn't rebuilt, and our home is big enough. Hosting them will give me something to do." She looked over the top of the tea cup at her son, waiting for a response. He just sat, munching on his third piece of toast and thinking. She was coming here, to him. He couldn't help but smile internally at the thought of her being here, with him, the thought of her not giving him any sympathy, or tiptoeing around him, the thought of her _normality_. As though sensing this, his mum stood up, picking up the dishes from breakfast. "I'm going to go and make up the guest rooms. Tonight we will have a big dinner. Can you please go down to the market and pick me up some groceries? There is a list on the table." And with that she was gone. Shikamaru finished his toast and his tea, then got up to head down to the market. _"What a drag, I'm sure we have enough food here." _He thought as he headed to the edge of the Nara compound.

It had been a while since he had ventured outside the realms of his house and into the busy streets of the Leaf. He walked along with his hands behind his head, looking up at the clouds, but it didn't bring him the same peace it used to. He used to be envious of the clouds, wishing he could be up there, floating along, no responsibilities, free to go and do and be whatever he liked. But now he was jealous – bitter and angry – that the clouds new nothing of his pain. He felt somehow betrayed by them, by their lack of concern for him, after all he had thought of them. He was knocked out of his thoughts, almost literally by something, _someone_ barrelling up behind him. "Shikamaru!" yelled a familiar voice as he was picked up and spun around wildly. "Choji put him down" cried Ino as she ran up behind the two best friends, smiling broadly as she attempted to pull Choji off his lately absent friend. "Shikamaru, we're going to get some BBQ do you want to come? We haven't seen you for a while." Shikamaru looked into the eyes of his best friend. They were filled with concern. He glanced over at Ino, her eyes full of pity and understanding. More of the horrible feelings that surrounded him following the loss of his father. More of the emotions he didn't want surrounding him for eternity. But he didn't want to hurt Chojis feelings, so he fell back into old habits. "Sorry guys, my mum sent me in to get some food for dinner, she'd kill me if I didn't head straight back home." He turned away, hoping they would just accept that, but they didn't, just like he knew they wouldn't. Ino looked mischievously at the list in his hand, "Who's coming to dinner? That's a lot of food just for the two of you…" She looked pointedly at the list and then at Choji, who couldn't keep the interest out of his eyes. Shikamaru started walking towards the market. "What a drag... Mum agreed to host the Kazekage and his guards for their stay, seen as we have the room and the embassy hasn't been rebuilt yet." He said this as neutral and bored as he could, but it didn't fool either of his Team 10 teammates. He then stopped walking, realising that his two friends were a few steps behind. He turned back to look at them, to see Chojis face covered in a smug expression, and Ino looking as over excited as she always did. "Oh my god Shikamaru you get to spend all that time with her!" said Ino as she practically bounced up and down with excitement. Ino and Choji knew him better than anyone, and they were both very, very aware of the connection that he had with her. "It's going to be a troublesome week, that's for sure. I'll see you guys around." And with that he left, walking a little bit faster towards the market.

Shikamaru put the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter and made his way to the fridge to get a drink. He pulled out a bottle of water and took a huge mouthful, allowing the cold fluid to cool him down. It was an unusually hot day in the village and he regretted his choice of attire. He pulled off his shirt and walked into the lounge room. "When are they arriving Mum?" he asked as he rounded the corner, only to be met with three sets of staring eyes. He quickly pulled his shirt up to cover his bare torso, realising who was in the room. His mother sat at the far end of the lounge with yet another cup of tea in her hand. Sitting next to her, avoiding eye contact with the young shadow wielder was Gaara, who seemed to have gotten very interested in a painting on the wall. Opposite him was Kankuro, who was glaring at Shikamaru with a mix of judgement and displeasure. Shikamaru slowly lowered his shirt, feeling the blush on his cheeks rising and took bearing of his surroundings. She wasn't here. He felt his shoulders sag, and the expression on his face must have shown how disappointed he was. Gaara seemed to have finally gotten bored of the wall painting and realised what Shikamaru was thinking. "Temari is taking a shower. She wanted to wash up before you got back." Gaara drawled slowly, making eye contact with the leaf shinobi. Shikamaru stood their stupidly, trying to make sense of what the Kazekage had just said. She wanted to look nice, for _him_? He opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by a soft punch to his back. "Don't go getting a big head there crybaby, I need you to escort me to the Hokage. It's _him_ I need to look nice for." She flashed him her usual cheeky grin as she walked past him, drying her blonde hair with a towel. Still damp she let it fall around her face and took a seat next to Kankuro, who was still glaring at him, though he now had a little bit more menace in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, I hope you are enjoying the story so far… If you want me to add things in let me know

Thanks for all of the reviews, follows and favourites, it is really nice to know people are reading. I know it might seem that this story is moving slowly, but I am a super big fan of the stories that go on for a while. They always end too soon!

Once again, Kishimoto owns this all.

AFTER THE WAR

Chapter 2.

Him.

They walked towards the Hokages building in silence, sometimes he would point out a new building, or something he had built. As they approached the Hokages building, they both stopped outside a newly erected amphitheatre. Shikamaru glanced over to her, shocked to see a sad look on her face, with what looked almost like tears glazing over her eyes. She took a deep, calming breath and turned to him. "Is this for tomorrows funeral?" her voice sounded sad, a sound he hadn't ever heard from her before. He nodded, placing his hand on the small of her back and directing her towards the entrance of the Hokages building. Suddenly he was flying through the air and landed painfully on his back, the wrist that had been on her back now in the tight grip of her palm. "I don't need your help Nara. I know where to go." She let go of his wrist and walked off, all traces of sadness removed from her aura. He slowly got up rubbing his wrist where he was sure there would be a mark in a few hours and followed her – at a safe distance – into the building in front of them. As he watched her walk in front of him, he noticed that she knew exactly what he needed. Not sympathy. Not kind words and muffin baskets. He needed things to go back to _normal_.

She waited for him at the door to the Hokages office. Leaning against the wall with her back and one foot, her fair skinned knee protruding from her black kimono, staring nonchalantly off into the distance. He stopped in front of her. "Thank you." he said quietly, avoiding eye contact. She regarded him silently for a few seconds and then shrugged. "I didn't do anything Nara." She said as she pushed off the wall and turned to the office door, brushing past him and smelling like musk and patchouli. She rapped on the door and stood back, awaiting the OK to enter. Shizune opened the door and greeted the two ninja with a bow. They walked to the centre of the room, standing across from the Hokages desk. The chair spun around and Temari bowed her head politely to the Leaf villages Hokage, Kakashi Hatake. He stood up and walked around to the front of the desk, resting on it and crossing one leg over. "Temari! It's great to see you again, I trust you and your brothers arrived without hassle?" He looked unusually interested in the sand kunoichi and it was making Shikamaru nervous. She nodded politely, encouraging him to continue. "You will have a very busy stay in the village this time, do any sightseeing you want to do this afternoon, there will be no time after that." The one eye that could be seen outside of his facemask closed and he suddenly looked tired. "Shizune, do you have our visitors itinerary?" he asked as Shizune fumbled through a pile of papers in her arms. She held one out to Temari, giving another copy of it to Shikamaru. He stared at the age in front of him, hardly believing his eyes. "You're only staying for three days?!" he exclaimed as he lowered the paper in front of him. He stared at her in disbelief. She had to travel for three days just to get here, why in the world wasn't she staying longer?

"Temari is a diplomat Shikamaru, she has to visit a lot of other villages that were affected by the war. We are very lucky that her and her brothers were able to attend the funeral and my inauguration ceremony." He walked back behind the desk and sat down as he said this, making eye contact with Temari once again. She smiled, and Shikamaru noted how beautiful she was when she wasn't being violent. He was napped out of his thoughts by a sharp jab in his ribs. "Well lazy ass? Will you?" she looked at him cheekily, a smug smirk now on her face. Quickly realising that he had only two options – answer them, or tell them why he wasn't paying attention – he decided to agree. He nodded slowly and folded up his copy of the troublesome womans itinerary, placing it and his hands inside his pockets. "Good" Kakashi said as he leant back in his chair. "Your job escorting Lady Temari starts now." And with that, he turned his chair around, signalling the end of the meeting, and snatched up a battered old copy of _Make out Paradise_, apparently needing to catch up on his reading.

Shizune followed them out, handing Temari a few more pieces of paper – her brothers itineraries – and reminding her something about an outfit for the inauguration. Temari said goodbye and pulled Shikamaru along the corridor with her. A few metres away from the door she stopped, pushing him against the wall. "You heard the Hokage. I've only got this afternoon to do some sightseeing. Where are you taking me?" she looked him right in the eyes, challenging him, seeing what he could come up with. He rolled his eyes, and raised one arm to scratch the back of his neck. "What a drag…" he complained quietly and he started to move toward a door on their left. She followed him in, and looked around the room, it was a bare office and she was just about to verbally attack him when she heard a sliding door open out onto a balcony. She regarded him with suspicion as he gestured for her to walk out onto the balcony. She stepped past him, and again he smelt her perfume, such a familiar smell, one he doubted he would ever forget, and followed her out onto the balcony. He stood next to her, forearms resting on the railing, and he turned slightly to watch her – slender hands holding lightly onto the railing, arm straight, back arched and head back, basking in the midday sunlight that reflected amazingly off her fair skin and blonde hair. She breathed in deeply a few times before standing straight again and taking in the view of the Hidden Leaf Village in front of her.

"The trees in your village are magnificent. I look at them all day." Temari stopped looking at the village and smiled at the leaf shinobi. Shikamaru looked at her and realised they were standing very close. He felt his cheeks starting to flush and turned to walk away. "Follow me" he said quietly, as he stepped gently onto the balcony railing "I've got something to show you."


	3. Chapter 3

Again guys, thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites. I just read through the last two chapters and noticed some pretty nasty spelling mistakes, so I will get onto fixing them sometime soon. I don't plan anything for my stories, I just write what feels write as I'm going, with a general idea of what I want to play out in the end, so I am making advance apologies if I sometimes get a little bit OC… but one of the things I enjoy about writing with Temari is that it allows more of an interpretations to what she may be like outside of diplomacy and wars. Again, again, Kishi owns the everything.

AFTER THE WAR

Chapter 3.

Dinner

Shikamaru led Temari back towards the Nara compound, however instead of turning left towards his house, they continued straight, passing through the lush green paddocks filled with deer and came to a stop outside a dense forest. He turned to look at her as she readjusted the red obi she wore over her kimono. She bent down and shifted the ankle strap of her shoe, stretching up again and turning to face Shikamaru. He reached out and handed her something – a small gold deer head on a chain. "Wow, Nara, and it's not even my birthday!" Temari said cheekily as she reached out for the charm. Their hands touched and he felt her soft skin brush against his calloused hands. How she didn't have tough hands from all of her fan wielding he would never understand. He looked over her left shoulder, careful not to make eye contact with the sand kunoichi and let go of the necklace. "Just put it on troublesome woman. It will keep you safe inside the Nara Clan Forest. You will be safe if you are with me, but if you ever need to enter without me, the necklace will grant you safe passage." Although he sounded bored, Temari noted that there was something in his eyes that she wasn't used to seeing. She could have sworn it was pride. She nodded curtly and placed the necklace over her head, tucking the charm down the front of her kimono. Shikamaru took her hand and lead her through the first few rows of trees. Temari glanced back over her shoulder and let out a small gasp. She could no longer see where they had just been standing. She wondered how the clan didn't get lost.

They walked like this, together, in silence for about five minutes, before entering a clearing. Shikamaru gently lead her toward a small pond in the centre of the clearing. The sun shone down on them as they took a seat at the edge of it, taking off their shoes and resting their feet in the clear, cool waters. Temari removed her large fan and set it down gently beside her while Shikamaru gently laid back with his hands behind his head, watching the clouds drift overhead. Suddenly there a loud thud as Temari not so gracefully threw herself backwards to be lying next to the lazy leaf ninja. He let out a raspy chuckle and earned himself another sharp jab in the ribs. "What the hell was that for?!" he demanded as he softly rubbed the sore spot on his ribs. "You laughed at me." She said plainly, not looking over at the shocked ninja. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to just throw yourself at the ground… aren't women supposed to be graceful and delicate?" He looked over at the woman beside him, with delicate features. He could almost forget how violent and abrasive she was most of the time. Temari simply lay there. Looking up at the sky above, "I'm not like other women Nara. Haven't you worked that out yet? I thought you were supposed to be a genius. If that's what you're after, tell me now so I'm not wasting my time." He looked at her for a second, thinking about what he'd always wanted. A wife that wasn't too pretty, or too ugly, a normal, generic career, a daughter then a son, and to retire at a normal age. Temari was beautiful, she was a diplomat, and she strived for excellence – and expected him to do the same. So he looked away from her and sighed. "Troublesome woman…" and reached down to hold her hand.

The two ninja lay near that pond for some time. Not talking – or arguing – just relaxing. As the sun started to dip, they decided to head back from dinner. Temari picked up her shoes and her fan and silently reached her hand out for Shikamaru. As she began to lead him back towards the trees he tugged on her hand, turning her around again. When she turned she saw one of the most amazing things she had ever seen, all the deer were emerging from the woods. Baby deer standing between their mothers legs, male deer leading their herd. Shikamaru pointed right at the back of the deer, where three young deer were walking slightly away from the others. "Their Mother died when they were born, and we can't find the Dad. They're the only ones who won't let me touch them." Shikamaru watched her closely as he said this, but her face didn't change. She simply stared at them, gave a weak smile, and turned back in the direction they had entered from earlier that day.  
>They walked hand in hand until they could see the lights of the Nara compound. Temari hastily removed her hand from his and began to walk briskly, putting her slightly ahead of his leisurely stride. Shikamaru allowed her to do this, catching up with her again at his front door. As they entered they could hear laughing coming from inside and smell dinner cooking. Shikamaru complained as he opened the door for the troublesome woman and followed her into the living area.<p>

The five of them sat around the dinner table. Gaara sat on one end – Yoshino had insisted that the Kazekage sit at the head of the table – with Kankuro on his left and Temari on his right, Yoshino and Shikamaru next to them respectively. Kankuro was delighting them all with funny tales from their past, and Yoshino would chip in every now and then with a funny anecdote about Shikamaru, much to her only childs displeasure. After one of the tastiest dinners the Sand Siblings had ever had, they ended up on the porch with a pot of tea. The mood slowly declined as they remembered why they were visiting the Hidden Leaf. Gaara was the first to go to bed. He gave them all a smile and profusely thanked Yoshino, so much so that Temari figured it must be irritating her at least a little bit. A few minutes later it was Yoshino bidding everyone adieu and heading to bed. Then there were three. Kankuro sat in between Shikamaru and Temari, suspiciously looking from one to the other. After a few minutes of this – and after realising they either hadn't noticed him or didn't care – he decided to start question time.  
>"So… where did you two end up today? Kakashi doesn't strike me as the type of guy to have a meeting that goes on for too long." He looked at his sister, though she only glared back at him in response. "The Hokage wanted me to take her sightseeing. It was a drag but an order is an order." Said Shikamaru with his eyes closed, head resting on the back of his chair. Sensing the puppet master wasn't going to give up on his quest for answers he decided as much as he wanted to spend time with her, he should retire for the night. "It was hard work Kankuro, your sister is troublesome and way scarier than my Mum. I'm off to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow." And with that he vacated his seat. As he walked past Temari he heard her quietly say "Night" and he raised a hand in response. As he got inside his room, he let out a small sigh, realising just how troublesome her, and her family, were going to be.<p>

"We should get to bed too sis, tomorrow is going to be a big day." Kankuro looked at his sister. He knew her better than almost anybody, and he knew she hated funerals. First there was their Mums, then their Uncles, then their Dads, Lady Chiyos and she even made it back to the Hidden Leaf for Asumas. Not to mention all of the ones they had both been ordered to attend when they were younger for the victims of Gaaras demon days. Their dad thought it was a good show of comradery for them to be there. She might pretend to be tough, but he knew that she could be just as delicate as anyone else. "I'll be up in a minute Kankuro, I'm just going to finish my tea. I'll see you in the morning." She smiled gently at him as he got up and walked past her. Once she had heard him start to walk up the stairs, she took her cup into the kitchen and went upstairs.

She walked past Shikamarus room and noticed that the door was partially open and the light was on. She stopped outside and looked around her, then slipped through the gap in the doorway. The lazy shinobi looked over his shoulder to see who had entered, but seeing her he turned back to his scrolls. "For someone so lazy, you're up pretty late…" she looked around his room as she said this, noting that everything was neatly in its place, except for the pile of photos covering half of his desk. She could see that a lot of them were of his dad, Asuma, and _her_. She walked over and picked some up, smiling at how young she was in some of them. One of them in particular caught her eye – it was of the two of them at the first chuunin exam they had organised together. She had just started wearing her kimono – and though she would never tell him - she was glad he had kept a picture of it. She noticed that he was watching her and carefully placed the pictures down, also ridding her face of her smile. "Look, I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow is going to be a really shitty day. I've been there, like three times, and nothing can prepare you for how much it's going to hurt, or how hard it's going to be or how annoying people will be with their sympathy." She looked at him softly, a look only reserved for those closest to her, a look Shikamaru had only seen once before. He nodded at her, his voice failing him, as she turned to leave his room. He grabbed her hand as she started to leave, placing a photograph in her dainty palm.

Temari got to her room and turned on the light. She looked at the photo he had handed her. It was a picture that had been taken years ago – after their first chuunin exam had started – it was of her, Asuma and Shikaku. She remembered it being taken, none of them had really wanted it to be taken, and Shikamaru was supposed to be in it, but he was off somewhere avoiding his duties. In the photo they were all smiling, bonding over their annoyance at the lazy shinobi. She put the photo on her bedside table and smiled to herself as she got into bed, dreading what was to happen the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, I'm leading up to something big here, so another boring filler-esque chapter. I'm hoping to update tomorrow, but I'm working two jobs and raise my son single handed so please bear with me. Any requests, let me know, and my god thank you for the reviews, follows and faves they keep me going! Kishi owns it, not me

AFTER THE WAR

Chapter 4.

How.

The five shinobi sat at the table, all clad in black, staring at their own plates, or the horrible dreary sky outside. Gaara was the first to finish his toast, and also the first to speak. "Today is a sombre day indeed. Drizzly, bleak, even the sky looks wary. It's almost as if it is a warning that today is going to be – He was interrupted by the sand kunoichi, sensing that the two Naras probably didn't want to listen to one of her brothers monotonous monologues. "Crap." Stated Temari blankly as she stared into a half drunk cup of tea. "It's going to be crap Gaara." She looked up at him, trying to signal to him to shut up, trying to let him know that the last thing their hosts needed was a summation of the day to come, the day they would bury their husband and father. Shikamaru glanced across the table at Temari, hoping to catch her eye, but she was too busy trying to bore holes into her brothers' forehead. He cleared the plates and filled the sink with dishes. As he went into the kitchen he noticed two itineraries on the breakfast bar.

Placing the dirty dishes in the sink he picked up one of the itineraries, it was for Gaara and Kankurou. He read over it silently, realising that they would all be attending the mass ceremony, but not his fathers. He felt someone touch him gently on the arm and smelt a familiar perfume. Temari lent past him, reaching for her own itinerary. Without looking at him she simply stated "My brothers are going to Nejis funeral. It's just after the start of your dads, I thought it would be nice for them to be able to go to Nejis. They didn't really know your dad like I did." Then she put her itinerary down and looked him in the eye. "I know I reprimanded you last time, but nobody would blame you if you cried. Hell, I might even." Then she punched him lightly on the arm and stalked off towards her brothers. He stared after her, not knowing what to make of that – she never showed any emotion when it came to this type of things, hell, she had reprimanded him more than once for how he showed his emotions. "_What a drag,_" he thought as he walked out of the kitchen, "_women are so confusing._"

An hour later they made their way to the amphitheatre in the village that he and Temari had seen the day before. It was starting to fill up now, and they stopped just before reaching it. "I'm afraid this is where we leave you Shikamaru, Lady Nara," Gaara bowed slightly to Shikamaru and kissed Yoshinos hand lightly. "We will see you tonight – whatever this day may bring to you, be thankful you had the love of your family and comrades for as long as you did. In particular, Shikaku was a great man to have had you as a wife Yoshino, and to raise a son to be as good a man as Shikamaru, I'm sure you both feel very proud to have known him." Gaara bowed again and turned on his heel, heading in the direction of the Hokages seating area. Kankuro nodded and followed, lingering his gaze between his sister and Shikamaru, who were standing next to each other. Teari stepped forward to follow her brothers, gracefully turning around to face the two Naras as she continued to walk backwards. "We will see you back here after the service?" Yoshino asked as Temari edged further away, the sand kunoichi raising a hand in acknowledgement before turning again and running after her brothers. Yoshino sighed and grabbed her sons hand, allowing him to lead her down to the very front row of amphitheatre seating, ahead of the rest of their clan who had come to farewell their leader.

Temari took a seat on the left of her brother, closer to the aisle. She said it was because she needed to leave before the crowds started, in order to meet the others at the designated spot, but she wasn't sure her brothers had bought it. Kankuro was watching her closely, noting the sweat appearing on her brow and how pale her fair skin had become. She was staring straight ahead, not at anything in particular, more at _nothing_. Making sure she didn't take in too much of the sight, as though seeing would unleash some wave of emotion that she didn't want to have. He was just about to say something to her, though he hadn't decided what, when there was a loud gong from an old brass plate. Everybody in the crowd stopped their murmuring and looked to the front to see their Hokage, Kakashi, walking up to a podium in front of the crowd.

"Ahem. Thank you everybody for coming. I know most of you have, thankfully, never been to a mass ceremony like this before, so I'll just get the formalities out of the way. Firstly, I want to thank each and every one of you for the sacrifices and the help you have given to this village in its time of need. I can see that the will of fire is strong within us as a community, and that from these ashes we can grow stronger. Secondly I want to thank the Kazekage and his guard for not only their assistance in the past, but also for their company today." He stopped to allow applause and Temari felt all eyes on her and her brothers. She never felt like this – so open, so weak and so _naked_. In an effort to distract herself she searched the crowd of thousands for Shikamaru, finally finding him almost adjacent to her on the opposite side of the arena. Slowly the audience returned their attention to the front and she let out her breath, slumping down slightly in her seat. As Kakashi began to speak again, her mind muddled with memories of previous funeral services – when she was three, her mums, she could still remember Gaara crying at the service and all of the guests telling her that she was crying too much. Then her uncles funeral when she was nine, when all the guests told her to keep her chin up, all the while looking at her and kankuro with a mixture of fear and pity, and then her dads at 15. At that funeral nobody spoke to her at all, they just looked scared from the other side of the room. And that was it. Feeling the overwhelming need to throw up, Temari stood from her seat and raced back up the aisle, running as fast as her legs would carry her. She didn't know where she was running to, she just couldn't face that ceremony any longer.

Shikamaru sat next to his mum, holding her hand as she let the tears run down her face. He'd never seen her cry before, and it was even more terrifying than the time he got some candy from the shop after school with Chouji. When he cried, it was, for lack of a better word, _gross_. His eyes got red and puffy, his face got blotchy, and he got snot _everywhere_. He looked weak and he made a lot of noise. Yet here his own mother was, sitting quietly, looking beautiful, with just a small stream of tears running down her cheeks. He pondered what she must be feeling, knowing his dad was never coming back. He was never the most friendly looking, cuddly person, albeit he was actually quite a cruel shinobi, but Shikamaru had never doubted their love. He didn't buy her flowers, or chocolates, or take her to fancy restaurants, but he spent time with her. He had real conversations with her, respected her, and every now and then cooked dinner. He realised how much he had learnt from that man, and how much he still didn't know. Suddenly it hit him, just like it did when Asuma died, and he couldn't stand to be in the arena anymore. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, suddenly feeling very hot. "Go" whispered his Mum under her breath, "Your dad wouldn't have lasted this long. Go home, I'll see you when this is over." She gently let go of her sons hand, allowing him to get up and slowly walk up the steps of the amphitheatre. As he walked past the Akimichi clans seats he made eye contact with Chouji, who looked concerned for him, but Shikamaru slightly raised his hand, signalling to his friend that he was fine.

Shikamaru arrived back at his house and decided to go for a walk. He wanted to find somewhere to watch the clouds and forget what the rest of his day would entail. He walked slowly into the woods behind his house patting some of the deer along the way. He was almost at the clearing he had visited yesterday when he saw a movement from the corner of his eye. He hid behind a tree and glanced out again, realising that the movement was Temari. He wondered what she was doing here – she had never been one to skip out on her responsibilities as a diplomat – but then he saw what she was actually doing. She was sitting on the edge of the forest feeding the three orphaned deer.  
>They were frolicking around her as she laughed and smiled. He watched her from the shadows, wondering how it was that the scariest woman he knew, one of the cruellest kunoichi there was, could get deer to trust her in less time than he.<p> 


End file.
